Here we have a special request – how to build a Bladesinger in Eclipse.

Eclipse lets you build pretty much anything of course, but what is it we’re building? “Bladesinger” was originally a second-edition fighter kit, and there are four differing official versions for 3.0 and 3.5 (from Tome and Blood, Races of Faerun, the Complete Warrior, and the Tome and Blood Web Expansion), as well as quite a few homebrew efforts and second edition and third edition updates available on the web. Most versions are prestige classes, while a few are full twenty level base classes. Some have special spell lists of their own, others upgrade an existing arcane spell progression. Still others add abilities from the Book of Nine Swords, or throw in even more exotic abilities.

The only way to handle this is going to be to build a base framework and throw in some options for spending the rest of the points. To match most of the official versions, I’ll make this a ten-level build. Of course, in the Eclipse version, you can start off as a Bladesinger, rather than having to take a levels in something else first.

Augmented Bonus: May add (Int Mod) to (Dex Mod) when calculating AC, Specialized/only while wielding a longsword or rapier in one hand and nothing in the other, Corrupted/now while wearing medium or heavy armor or heavily encumbered (2 CP).

That’s a total of 35 CP.

At every level we’ll want:

1d8 Hit die (4 CP).

+1 BAB (Warcraft, 6 CP).

+2 Skill Points (2 CP).

For a total of 47 CP at level one and 12 CP/Level.

For a level-ten design – to match the majority of the 3.0 and 3.5 writeups – that will leave us with a base of 121 CP to spend. For most Eclipse characters it will be more: a large part of what made the Bladesinger interesting back in second edition was the obligations that came with the kit, so some Duties (for a total of +20 CP to spend at level ten) will probably fit in best. They may even have Fast Learner, which – at level ten – would yield a profit of 14 CP. Ergo, anything under a total of 141 CP is good here.

To get the saves up to the standard +7/+7/+3 for two good and one bad save at level ten will cost 39 CP.

We’ll also want:

Bonus Attack, Specialized/only while making a full attack wielding a longsword or rapier in one hand and nothing in the other, Corrupted/not while wearing medium or heavy armor or heavily encumbered (2 CP).

Three Bonus Feats (18 CP).

To let the Bladesinger cast spells in melee, we’ll want Reflex Training/Extra Actions Variant, Specialized in Spellcasting and Corrupted/extra actions must be taken during the character’s turn (2 CP) along with Evasive/not subject to attacks of Opportunity when using a Reflex Action for Spellcasting, Corrupted/not while wearing medium or heavy armor or heavily encumbered (Uncommon, 2 CP). This is a compromise of course. The versions of the Spellsinger with their own spell list (and usually a maximum of 4/4/3/3 spells per day) could throw one per round on top of their attacks. Later versions, which simply expanded on another spellcasting progression, cut back this privilege to once per day. Here we’re compromising on three times per day, with the option to buy more uses.

That comes to 63 CP worth of special abilities, leaving us with 78 CP to spend picking up some magic.

To build the original version, buy 12 levels from the Paladin or Ranger spellcasting progression, probably taking the Spontaneous Caster option, Corrupted for Increased Effect/only allows the use of an extremely limited spell list, essentially consisting entirely of personal combat boosts (24 CP) and 10 Specialized Caster Levels to go with it (30 CP). That would only give us 4/3/3/3 spell slots (plus some cantrips), instead of 4/4/3/3, so we’ll need a level of Specialist (3 CP) to get things up to 5/4/4/3 (a one level-two spell slot improvement over the original). We’ll also have to buy +16 Reflex Actions (8 CP), but that still only comes to 65 CP – leaving us with 13 CP left over. Enough for two Feats and one SP in change.

To build the generic plus-arcane-spellcasting-levels version you’d need to buy five spellcasting levels – with a cost ranging from 40 CP (Bard) through 70 CP (Wizard) up to 80 CP (Sorcerer). That leaves us 2 CP short if we’re using a Sorcerer base, but leaves plenty of room to add things left over for a Bard and some room for a Wizard.

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Welcome to my roleplaying blog! The Emergence Campaign Weblog exists to easily distribute material for my players, in support of Eclipse: The Codex Persona and other Distant Horizons Games products, and to provide a home for my role-playing material - along with occasional player contributions - in general. Queries and special requests are welcome.

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